Due to advances in computing technology, businesses today are able to operate more efficiently when compared to substantially similar businesses only a few years ago. For example, internal networking enables employees of a company to communicate instantaneously by email, quickly transfer data files to disparate employees, manipulate data files, share data relevant to a project to reduce duplications in work product, etc. Furthermore, advancements in technology have enabled factory applications to become partially or completely automated. For instance, operations that once required workers to put themselves proximate to heavy machinery and other various hazardous conditions can now be completed at a safe distance therefrom.
Further, imperfections associated with human action have been minimized through employment of highly precise machines. Many of these factory devices supply data related to manufacturing to databases that are accessible by system/process/project managers on a factory floor. For instance, sensors and associated software can detect a number of instances that a particular machine has completed an operation given a defined amount of time. Further, data from sensors can be delivered to a processing unit relating to system alarms. Thus, a factory automation system can review collected data and automatically and/or semi-automatically schedule maintenance of a device, replacement of a device, and other various procedures that relate to automating a process.
Industrial controllers can be employed to effectuate completion of most industrial processes. Industrial controllers are special-purpose computers utilized for controlling industrial processes, manufacturing equipment, and other factory automation processes, such as data collection through networked systems. Controllers often work in concert with other computer systems to form an environment whereby a majority of modern and automated manufacturing operations occur. These operations involve front-end processing of materials such as steel production to more intricate manufacturing processes such as automobile production that involve assembly of previously processed materials. Oftentimes, such as in the case of automobiles, complex assemblies can be manufactured with high technology robotics assisting the industrial control process.
Industrial automation environments commonly utilize redundancy to provide availability and/or safety. For instance, two or more industrial automation devices (e.g., sensors, logic solvers, . . . ) can be employed in connection with a particular machine, process, product, environment, etc., and disparate outputs from the devices can be combined. Each of the industrial automation devices can provide an output (e.g., vote), and the outputs can be combined to effectuate an action, to yield a measured condition, to continue and/or halt operation of the machine, process, etc. However, conventional architectures commonly provide fixed voting relationships between the industrial automation devices.
Moreover, conventional techniques employing redundancy typically fail to provide safety by way of identifying potentially hazardous zones and/or distances thereto. Rather, to maintain a safe environment, safety margins that can be larger than necessary are commonly employed. Pursuant to an illustration, a safety margin associated with a machine may be predefined to provide stopping the machine whenever a user enters into a restricted area. However, for instance, such an environment may not be optimized for presence of a person in a dangerous area and/or may fail to adapt to the presence of a person. Accordingly, downtime associated with processes, machines, etc. can be yielded by conventional techniques due to unnecessary shutdowns.